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Friday, April 4, 2014

A Workshop Update

With IT work in short supply, I've been "forced" to dedicate much more time to guitar building over the past couple of months. Well, I'm not really complaining!

It stands to reason, of course, that spending more time in the workshop will increase my output. Nevertheless, I've been pleasantly surprised by my rate of progress as my current guitar projects take shape. With the luxury of two days a week dedicated to building - and thinking about building - I've been able to make significant inroads into these three guitars, as well as identify a couple of steps in the build process that I feel could benefit from further thought and refinement. As usual, the next guitar will be better!

European Spruce/East Indian Rosewood

The guitar pictured above features a European Spruce soundboard, and a very attractive set of East Indian Rosewood back and sides. The florentine cutaway is only the second one I've attempted, and although it represents more work and an increased degree of difficulty, I'm satisfied with the way it's turning out.

Port Orford Cedar/Claro Walnut

The Port Orford Cedar/Claro Walnut guitar featured in recent posts is waiting in the queue, with the body ready for binding and work on the neck largely complete. I'm quite pleased with a new design flourish I've implemented on the heel cap. The "scoop" evident on the heel itself is another new development; the goal being to echo the aesthetics of the headstock and fretboard end in an attempt to tie these elements together from a design perspective. The photographs show these details, with final shaping and sanding yet to be completed, and with the heel cap unattached.

Redwood/Claro Walnut OM

This Redwood/Claro Walnut OM has been languishing in the cupboard for several months while I wait for the motivation necessary to apply the sprayed finish coats. As the other two guitars rapidly approach a similar state of completion, it's unavoidable that finishing, sanding and buffing will occupy the bulk of my time very soon. Having said that, I plan on applying an oil finish to at least one of these necks, a side-effect of which will be that the finishing process will be slightly less time-consuming than it would be otherwise.

With storage space at a premium, I'll be strongly resisting the urge to begin another guitar until this batch is complete and - hopefully - distributed to new owners!